The most common type of office was the home office and those with the means had an employee who would work from that office. These secretaries were nearly always male and they worked directly with their employer. The most common type of business was the running of their estates which would mean hours spent tallying incoming and outgoing finances. This made the secretary desk a vital tool for the job.

Even after the office went from the environs of the home to the business centers and capitals, the secretary desks did not languish. They simply moved to the office outside of the home. It was not until the industrial revolution and the advent of electricity that the secretary desk declined in popularity and was assigned a role as a decoration as opposed to a work station.

Secretary desks are typically made of wood. Many of these pieces were made of the trees that were indigenous to the area. Those with the means would import woods to have their secretary desks made as a symbol of their wealth.